Nicole Schoenborn, 18, of Cornelia Connelly School in Anaheim, shows her water rocket to judge Vuryl Klassen during the 58th annual O.C. Science and Engineering Fair in Costa Mesa. Schoenborn paired with classmate Liana Rizkalla to study the effects of bottle size on altitude reached. EUGENE GARCIA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

COSTA MESA – Jake Stenzel, 16, spent close to a year working on a hydrogen generator that he hopes will someday power his car. It took Rebecca Montes, 12, a bit less time to determine which household surfaces yield the most complete fingerprints.

But if there was anything that the widely varied projects presented this week at the 58th annual Orange County Science and Engineering Fair had in common, it was just how much fun students had working on them.

"I love making this stuff," Stenzel said.

For some, the fair was an opportunity to learn about how science intersects with personal interests like baseball and baking. For others, it was a chance to present complex projects with goals like improving defibrillators or harnessing clean energy.

Allan Foodym, a computer scientist who has served as a judge at the fair for more than four decades, said he has seen student projects get increasingly sophisticated over the years.

"I think it's a good sign for society," Foodym said," that kids are learning more about science."

Organizers say that however simple or complex the project, they hope all students walk away with an increased appreciation of science.

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Nicole Schoenborn, 18, of Cornelia Connelly School in Anaheim, shows her water rocket to judge Vuryl Klassen during the 58th annual O.C. Science and Engineering Fair in Costa Mesa. Schoenborn paired with classmate Liana Rizkalla to study the effects of bottle size on altitude reached. EUGENE GARCIA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Judges listen to students' presentations of their experiments during the 58th annual O.C. Science and Engineering Fair in Costa Mesa. EUGENE GARCIA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Pelin Ensari, 13, of Fairmont Private Schools in Anaheim holds up a fructose molecule during the 58th annual O.C. Science and Engineering Fair in Costa Mesa. Ensari conducted an experiment to study the effects of heat and acid on fructose content. EUGENE GARCIA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Samuel Lin, 13, of Fairmont Private School in Anaheim studied the effects of earbuds, headphones and speakers on decibel levels and hearing for his experiment at the 58th annual O.C. Science and Engineering Fair in Costa Mesa. EUGENE GARCIA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A study looking at the effects of different sodas combined with Mentos candies was among the many experiments during the 58th annual O.C. Science and Engineering Fair in Costa Mesa. EUGENE GARCIA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A student's wind turbine was among the many experiments during the 58th annual O.C. Science and Engineering Fair in Costa Mesa. EUGENE GARCIA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Fiona Bandy, 14, , 18, of St. Bonaventure School in Huntington Beach thanks judge Robert Buchheim during the 58th annual O.C. Science and Engineering Fair in Costa Mesa. Bandy experimented to find the best material to wipe tears away. EUGENE GARCIA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Matthew Sandoval, 13, collected solar data to look for a relationship between sunspots and solar flares. An eighth-grade student at Mariners Christian School in Costa Mesa, Sandoval hopes to become "an astronomer or a software developer." JESSICA TERRELL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Alana Hernandez, who celebrated her 14th birthday at the science fair, decided to examine if young children could tell the difference between pills and candy after watching a news story about a toddler who was hospitalized for swallowing someone else's medication. Hernandez, in the eighth grade at St. Bonaventure in Huntington Beach, is interested in becoming a teacher. JESSICA TERRELL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Alayna Wong, 13, wanted to see if foreign-born Asian Americans identify facial expressions differently than Asian Americans born in the U.S. The eighth-grader at Hope Christian Academy said she was surprised to find there is no difference, because her mother, who was born in Hong Kong, sometimes has a hard time reading her expressions. "I thought American-born Asians would read faces differently," she said. JESSICA TERRELL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Andrew Kim, 12, read that different types of light can impact plant growth, and wanted to see if the same premise applied to algae. "Growing the algae was fun," said Kim, a seventh-grade student at Fairmont Private Schools in Anaheim. JESSICA TERRELL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Andrew Takata, 13, said he was mostly looking for a passing grade when he took on his science project, "Renewable energy from ocean waves using piezolectric crystals." Still, while the project wasn't exactly fun, the seventh-grader at St. Ann School in Laguna Niguel, said he learned a lot. He got the idea for the project from a news article. JESSICA TERRELL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Elizabeth Neoman, 14, and Elizabeth Craig, 15, partnered up on the science project because they both had the same first name. The two Elizabeths, ninth-graders at Cornelia Connolly private school in Anaheim, conducted experiments to see which brand of contact lens solution killed off the most staphylococcus bacteria. Neoman wants to be a doctor, but Craig said she is just starting to think about careers in science. "I used to think science was boring, but now after this I think doing something with science would be fun," Craig said. JESSICA TERRELL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Evan Krum, 13, said he was inspired to work on the project, "Solar Desalination, Is It Efficient?," after one of his teachers explained that much of the earth is made up of water, but most of that water is salt water. "I was thinking I could come up with a way of desalinating water without the high cost," said Krum, an eighth=grade student at Mariners Christian in Irvine. Krum said he hopes to become an engineer. JESSICA TERRELL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Hina Patel, 11, said her home-baked treats have been turning out much sweeter since her experiment, "How do you make the best cookie?" The sixth-grader at Orchard Hills Middle School in Irvine compared cookies made from refridgerated dough with those made from fresh dough, and then had friends and family weigh in on what tasted better. "The refrigerated cookie dough tasted better," she said. JESSICA TERRELL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
To prepare for the science fair, Jack Reader, 14, took swab samples from various surfaces at Fairmont Private Schools in Anaheim Hills to determine which surfaces had the most microorganisms. Reader, who is in the eighth grade, thought the handle of the boys bathroom would have the most bacteria. Not so. "The lunch table top had the most," Reader said. "That felt a bit disconcerting." He took the results of his project, "What can you touch?" to school administrators, and was told the lunch tables would be getting some extra cleaning. JESSICA TERRELL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Jake Stenzel, 16, is showcasing a hydrogen generator for his project on eliminating hydrocarbon fuels. Next year though, the 11th-grader at Villa Park High School says he will be back with an even more ambitious project: He wants to get the generator to run his car. "I wanted to find an [alternative] for to carbon-emiting fuels or gasoline," said Stenzel, who wants to study bio chemistry. Stenzel worked on his generator, which is "essentially for running your car off water." nearly every day for an entire year. JESSICA TERRELL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Can colors help us learn? That's what Jonathan Rickmeyer, 12, decided to study for his project, "What's your color?" Rickmeyer, a seventh-grader, found that his test subjects retained information better when it was printed on colored paper, especially blue. And it's changed his study habits, at least a little. "I don't always study, but when I do I have some multi-colored flash cards I try to use," he said. JESSICA TERRELL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Katherine Walde, 13, loves to garden with her grandfather. So when it came time to pick a project for the science fair, she looked beneath her feet. Walde, a seventh-grader at Bernice Ayer Middle School in San Clemente, looked at whether soil affects the pH balance of water. "It was so much fun," she said of the project. JESSICA TERRELL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Judges were waiting in a line to talk to Kevin K. Lee, a junior at University High School in Irvine about his project, "Electromagnetic Modeling of the Heart in Moving Domains Using the Phase-Field Method." "I found a new way to model the beating of a heart using a mathematical model," said Lee, who is looking at majoring in physics. JESSICA TERRELL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Kevin Lee, an 11th-grader, explains his project to judges at the science fair. "I was intrested in exploring the behavior of the heart from a mathematical standpoint," he said. Lee said models like his could be used to improve defibrillation. JESSICA TERRELL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Makenna Mitchell, 14, is fascinated by the ocean. The eighth-grade student at St. Margaret's Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano wants to study marine biology, which is why she measured the energy created by the water for her project, "Harnessing Ocean Energy." "This was just a blast," she said. "You have to choose a topic you like because if you don't then you are wasting three months of your life." JESSICA TERRELL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Makenna Mitchell, 14, with device she built to measure energy created by waves and tides. "I was definitely surprised by how powerful the ocean is," Mitchell said. "It's a reservoir of energy that we're not even using." JESSICA TERRELL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Michael Wu, 12, has watched his dad suffer from severe heartburn for years. So for his science project, the seventh-grader at Rancho San Joaquin in Irvine decided to look at "The Effects of Different Antacids and PPIs on the pH Intensity of Gastric Acid." Basically, he wanted to know what antacid was the best. The answer? Baking soda. "I just wanted to see if I could help my Dad," he said. JESSICA TERRELL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Rebecca Montes, 12, has dreams of becoming a forensic investigator. Which means she had a lot of fun with her science project "CSI: Identify." The seventh-grader at Mendez Fundamental Intermediate School in Santa Ana used magnetic powder to test various surfaces and determine which had the cleanest fingerprints. JESSICA TERRELL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Rebecca Velazquez, a seventh-grader at St. Joseph's School in Santa Ana tested the glucose level in various beverages. Velazquez said her family has a history of diabetes, which is why she wanted to know just how much sugar she is drinking. "I used to drink about five cups of soda a day," she said. "Now I limit myself to about one cup." JESSICA TERRELL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Sarah Saboorian, 13, wanted to know if people with one eye color see differently from people with other eye colors. The results of "Luck of the Iris," showed green as the eye color with the best perception of color in low light and blue as having the worst. Her findings made Saboorian think differently about her own eye color. "I used to think brown was boring," she said."Now I feel pretty good because [brown] is average." JESSICA TERRELL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Scott Merkwan, 13, built a "swinger" with his dad, to determine which type of baseball bat (aluminum, wood, or composite) performed best. The result? Composite, Merkwan said with a grin. The seventh-grader at St. Bonaventure in Huntington Beach said he went out and bought a composite bat as soon as his study was completed. JESSICA TERRELL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
From left: Michael Harris, Osvaldo Cisneros and Juan Pineda, all seventh-graders at Mendez Fundamental Intermediate in Santa Ana, worked together to build a prosthetic arm. JESSICA TERRELL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Miles Harris, Osvaldo Cisneros and Juan Pineda of Mendez Fundamental Intermediary in Santa Ana pose with a prosthetic arm constructed from electric wires, rubber bands, cardboard and fishing wire. Although the arm is made of cardboard, all five fingers move. JESSICA TERRELL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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